Promotion for BEd scam accused

OUR BUREAU

July 16: The Trinamul Chhatra Parishad’s Nadia unit today decided to promote Tanmay Acharya, the union leader accused by students of a BEd college of taking money to facilitate admissions beyond the sanctioned strength, as the joint working president of the TMCP in the district.

“The proposal was drawn up and unanimously endorsed at the TMCP district leadership’s meeting in Krishnagar today. The proposal will be sent to TMCP state president Shankudeb Panda for his approval,” said Ayan Dutta, the TMCP chief of Nadia.

Sources said the elevation of Tanmay, the general secretary of the Kalyani University student union headed by the TMCP, was “just a formality”.

Trinamul sources said Tanmay’s nomination had come as a surprise as he had been accused of involvement in the alleged cash-for-seat scandal at Bhaktabala BED College. According to the allegations, 39 students had been admitted beyond the sanctioned strength of 100.

Some of the 39 students had told The Telegraph that they had paid between Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 1.85 lakh to Tanmay to secure admission to the private BEd college.

Amar Biswas, the Bhaktabala co-owner, had alleged that Tanmay had forced him to admit the excess students.

“It is strange that our Nadia unit has proposed Tanmay’s name despite the allegations against him,” a TMCP leader said.

Nadia TMCP president Dutta, however, lent his weight behind Tanmay. “You can’t deny a good organiser like Tanmay promotion just because of false charges levelled by the BJP and the CPM,” he said.

Earlier, Panda too had given a clean chit to Tanmay even before the inquiries into the alleged cash-for-seat scam. Panda had accused the vice-chancellor of Kalyani University, Rattan Lal Hangloo, of conspiring to falsely implicate Tanmay and malign the government.

Education minister Partha Chatterjee had distanced himself from Panda’s comments and asked Abhijit Chakraborty, the interim vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University, to probe the alleged scam.

Sources said Chakraborty had submitted his report to minister Chatterjee.

A professor of Kalyani University, to which the BEd college is affiliated, expressed shock at the proposal to promote Tanmay.